GONE BACK
Production Company
EM FilmWorks
Writer, director, producer
Ernest Meholli
Awards
Best Feature Film award – IFFNY – International Filmmaker Festival, New York
Best Actor Award award – IFFNY – International Filmaker Festival, New York
Audience Award – PRIFEST Prishtina International film festival, Prishtina
Gone Back is a psychological drama about an army deserter that returns home. He expects to find his life the way he left it, but he finds out that he is declared dead and everything has changed. He tries desperately to reconnect with his loved one. Slowly he becomes a shadow of his former self, struggling with the fact that he no longer exists for the world he used to be a part of.
Director’s statement
Gone Back my first feature film is a very important step for me. I wanted to create a strange world where slowly we discover the story through the eyes of the main character.
The idea of Gone Back started when I visited my home country of Kosovo after being away for almost a decade. The changes I saw after being gone for such a long time impacted me deeply. While walking around, I felt as if I was in surreal dream, observing my own life but nobody could see or hear me.
Gone Back tells a story about the decisions we make in life and the consequences of those choices. A soldier fights to belong in a world that he can no longer recognize from his past.
In the past, a soldier who fought for his country, and survived, returned home and was treated like a hero. Returning soldiers were welcomed back with open arms by their loved ones.
But in the present day, highly charged political interests, together with the mainstream media distorted the meaning of being soldier. It is impossible to know if a soldier is a “hero” or just a victim of vicious political games. Many former soldiers were left regretting their decisions.
In this movie, a young soldier tries to escape the choices he made and he goes back to fight for the most pure and important thing in the world, love. But his choices still have consequences he must face
Cast
Astrit Alihajdaraj, Hanna Verboom, Blerim Destani, Karin Jessica Jansen, Refet Abazi, Edon Rizvanolli, Yinli Titt
Script coach Ernie Tee, Script assistant Robert van Dijk, First Assistant Director Ysbrant Bakker, Melissa Nieveld, Child Attendant Madelief Blanken,
Executive Producers Stephan Nemchik, Henk Smellink, Hanna Verboom, Production Manager Lilia Costa, Production Assistants Marleen te Walvaart, Stef Meijer, Xhenita Vllasaliu, Paul Veer, Joerie van de Vorle, Editor Joost van de Wetering DOP Danny Noordanus,
Camera assistant Melvin Kok, Gaffer Michel Ijzerman, Electrician Nathalie Scheper, Sound recording Robil Rahantoeknam, Daan Arens, Nick Pursehouse, Guus Rooijers, Dennis Alink, Sound design & re-recording Robil Rahantoeknam, Sound desig Niels Hahn, Sound mix assistant Nicole Württemberger, Original film score Matteo Taheri, Music performed by Baltic symphony orchestra (St. Petersburg), Grip Colin Huijser, Steady-cam operator Navid Tansaz, Production design Janneke Jacobs, Joery Verwij, Assistant prod. design, Wilco van Amerongen, Make up Karin Rex, Blerina Dula, Set Dresser Josine Immoos, Floris Eysing Smeets, Costume Design Rivka Koops, Vita Mees, Costumes assistant Florentine Burghout, Carla van Zanddijk, Paintings Ernest Meholli, Visual effects Matthijs Joor Video Editor Kosovo Edon Rizvanolli, Visual effects assistant Melvin Kok, Color grading Guy Molin, Grading assistant Oliver Steffens, Sascha Pisonic, Executive producer Kosova Berat Keqekolla, Visual effects Kosova Edon Rizvanolli, Sound Kosovo Illto music studio Pellumb Ballata Extras Netherlands, Musician René Trok, Barry van Vliet Truck driver Bert Bolink, Mugger 1 Edo T. Wegman, Mugger 2 Bedri Halili, Gardener Jan Ravenstijn, Shop Keeper, Marietta Stassinopoulos, Café guests Jan Ravenstijn, Henk Smellink, Marcel Ankone, Truus Ankone, Hilbert Kist, Marit Kist, Tineke Horstink, Jaap de Rooij, Theo Postel, Bennie Kerkhof, Jonkman, Tonny Alink
Extras Kosova Ysbrant Bakker, Florim Brajshori, Alban Selimi, Mehedini Selimi
Arian Troshupa, Benjamin Havolli, Faton Mehuka,Arsim Beka, Shabi, Gori,Agron Maqedonci, Driton Selimi, Enver Gashi, Muhamed Retkoceri
Sahit Sekiraqa, Arsim Ibrahimi, Valdrin Krasniqi, Fisnik Krasniqi, Enis Muhamedi, Ardian Gashi, Lirik Gashi, Arianit Gashi
www.goneback-themovie.com